Schools to go tobacco-free

Henrico County public schools and school-sponsored events soon will be entirely tobacco-free, following the School Board's 4-1 vote Sept. 27 to enact a tobacco-free policy.

The policy likely will not take effect officially for a period of at least a few months, so that staff members and visitors who smoke or use tobacco have time to become adjusted to it.

Board member Lisa Marshall of the Tuckahoe District cast the dissenting vote.

More than 30 other school systems in the state – including Hanover County – already have similar tobacco policies. Henrico school officials believe the policy will promote healthier environments for students, staff members and visitors alike while encouraging healthier lifestyles at the same time and serving as a reinforcement to students about the dangers of tobacco.

Existing HCPS policy allowed individual principals to set their own conditions for tobacco and cigarette use on their campuses by adults, staff members and visitors. Twenty-four elementary schools in the county, three middle schools, five high schools and two specialty facilities already banned all tobacco use on their campuses prior to
the board's vote last week. Other schools and specialty centers allowed smoking in designated areas.

The change is not without detractors. About a third of the 1,263 faculty members who responded to a school system survey last month said they favored the existing policy, while two-thirds said they favored the new one.

The fire broke out in the third floor of the Chase Gayton apartment complex in the 10 block of Chase Gayton Drive, near the intersection of Gaskins Road and Quioccasin Road, at about 1:20 p.m. Sept. 24. > Read more.

Crime stoppers needs your help to solve a double homicide that occurred in the City of Richmond in June of this year.

On Wednesday, June 7, at approximately 9:53 p.m., Richmond police officers responded to several calls for random gunfire in the 3600 block of Decatur Street. They arrived and found the victims, two males, Christian Singleton and Ketron Wells. The victims were outside on the ground lying near each other. Both victims had received fatal gunshot wounds. > Read more.

The Richmond Astronomical Society and Libbie Mill Library will host a presentation about the night sky and its astronomy Sept. 28, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Attendees will enjoy amazing views of the moon and other celestial objects with high-quality telescopes operated by members of the Richmond Astronomical Society. Guests will be able to see craters and seas on the surface of the moon with clarity and detail. > Read more.

The number of homes sold in Henrico County in August rose 10 percent when compared to the same month last year, according to data compiled by Long & Foster. The average sale price of those homes – $239,975 – also rose, by about 4 percent when compared to the same average sale price in August 2016.

Henrico's jump in the number of homes sold was the largest in the Richmond region, though average sales prices in Chesterfield (8 percent increase) and Richmond (12 percent) jumped by higher amounts when compared to last August sales. > Read more.

Graham M. Bundy, a thoracic surgeon with HCA Virginia Physicians’ Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates, is the first such surgeon in Central Virginia to perform 100 minimally-invasive Da Vinci robot-assisted lobectomies (a surgical procedure to remove a lobe of the lung). The procedure is used to treat multiple types of conditions but is most often used to treat lung cancer. > Read more.

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Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden will present “Folk History + American Herbalism: An Overview of Western Plant Medicine” from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Learn about the centuries-old relationship between plants and humans as recorded through materia medica, botanical drawings, and oral tradition. Laura Baum of Laura’s Botanicals will lead a discussion about early American schools of plant medicine and their leaders, and how they influence the current renewal of interest in this herbal tradition. Cost is $10 for Garden members and $23 for nonmembers. To register, visit http://www.lewisginter.org.
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